Sean O’Malley has a win against a former UFC champion and wants to make more champion money.
In the most talked-about non-title bout of UFC 280, O’Malley eked out a split decision over Petr Yan to shoot up the rankings and boost his already considerable star power. O’Malley said before the fight that a win over Yan could have a similar impact on his career as to when Conor McGregor toppled Jose Aldo, and while he wouldn’t call it a perfect comparison, he assumes he’s due for a raise.
“What’s considered a Conor-Aldo moment?” O’Malley said at Saturday’s post-fight presser. “Do I have to knock someone out in 13 seconds? Because that’s going to be hard to do.
“But as far as blowing up, I don’t know, we’ll have to see the next couple of weeks. I can almost guarantee I’m going to go sit down and renegotiate my contract after that. It could be [that kind of moment].”
Other chatter surrounding O’Malley’s fight was about the possibility of Sugar receiving a title shot, if Yan beats him. O’Malley has a huge fan base both due to his in-cage skills and his impressive social media presence, so the UFC could see him as the next logical challenger to Aljamain Sterling, who successfully defended his title against T.J. Dillashaw on Saturday.
O’Malley loves the idea but doubts it will entertain as much as Yan’s duel.
“What really gets me excited is guys like Petr who are just like–I knew it was going to be a sweet kickboxing match with a little wrestling,” O’Malley said. Aljo is a good grappler, but he can do it all. It’s an exciting fight .”
As for a timeline for O’Malley’s potential championship opportunity, he will wait to talk that over with UFC officials. For now, he just wants to rest and recover after a brutal back-and-forth fight.
“It’s difficult to fight right after, Dana [White] said,” O’Malley stated. “I feel tired, sore and have headaches. I do not want to be in a fight with anyone. I want to go home and see my princess. It’s inevitable. Tomorrow I will turn 28. I intend to continue this sport for many years. I want to become champ so that it can happen sooner rather than later .”
